Just in case you are wondering, you may have noted that in the K'veer prison and the Great Shaft, there are link books to Direbo at various levels. Each one takes you to a different area of Direbo where you can link to each of four Ages. If you link to Direbo in the order you find the link books you'll progress in the following order:

TahgiraTodelmerNobelenLaki'ahn

I, however, tried a different order and can report that it does not matter which order you follow. i.e., the game seems to be non-linear and has no pre-requesites in terms of order.

Got to the bottom of the Great Shaft, raised the floor and started the fans. Had to take a break so saved and quit the game. When I restarted, I seemed to have dropped to a lower level (which was good) but after reloading an earlier saved game to see what had happened I now can't seem to be able to get down to this lower level.

but after reloading an earlier saved game to see what had happened I now can't seem to be able to get down to this lower level.

When you reloaded the earlier game you went back to the point of the save and have to proceed from there. How did you save when you first quit? By just quiting (automatic save) or by taking a picture first then quiting? If you used the auto save you should have gone back to exactly where you left off. If this wasn't the case, then you may have suffered an unrepeatable glitch. To bad you didn't take a picture of that lower level before you went back to the previous save.After I got the fans going I couldn't find a way to the lower areas Esher hinted at, so I started concentrating on the Books to Direbo. I figured if I work through the four ages there I might find another way down to D'ni.

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A little nonsence now and then is relished by the wisest (wo)men.

Yes. The odd thing here, though, is that Esher says you cannot travel to the lower levels because the air system needs to be activated and the floor raised. Though, once the floor is raised, you can switch the air system on and yet there are no lower levels to visit anyway.

Help please with turning on the fans. I get to that point (thru the tunnel) as soon as I get into the room with the handle, it is locked. Then I start to get a loud sound. Back up into the tunnel again and it stops.

I am not certain, but it may be that you didn't turn on the power upstairs yet.

When the floor is raised, there is another room (across from the stairs that go down to the bottom) to which you gain access when the floor comes up. In there is the power switch and another sleeping room with another link to Direbo. Turn on the power before going down under the floor.